Refusing to be Forgotten. Southern Conservatism and the Political Thought of M. E. Bradford

Southern conservatism is both a subject of academic interest and a source of identity for many Americans. As demonstrated by recent controversies surrounding Confederate monuments, the Civil War continues to be a painful and divisive part of American history. Many Americans, especially those identifying as progressive or liberal, are dismayed by compatriots venerating General Robert E. Lee or embracing the Southern Cross battle flag, often deemed a symbol of white supremacy. I argue that this lack of mutual understanding stems from the fact that very few people remember and/or understand the role of regionalism in shaping American identity. As work by Daniel Elazar (The American Mosaic: The Impact of Space, Time, and Culture on American Politics. Boulder: Westview, 1994), Joel Garreau (The Nine Nations of America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981), Colin Woodward (American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America. New York: Viking, 2011), and Edward L. Ayers et al. (All Over the Map. Rethinking American Regions. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996) has clearly demonstrated, American regions are more than mere geographical areas: they constitute unique cultural entities that differ in patterns of political behavior, dominant ideologies, and symbols. Despite – or perhaps due to – increasing globalization, they provide a powerful sense of belonging and attachment. Thus, Southern conservatism serves as an important source of identity for many Americans and, perhaps most remarkably, not only those from the South. The main objective of this book is to characterize twentieth-century Southern conservatism and reconsider its place in the broader context of post-World War II American political discourse. To this end, I discuss and analyze the political thought of Melvin E. Bradford (1934–1993), a professor of English Literature at University of Dallas from 1967 until his death at the age of 58. At Vanderbilt University, Bradford was the disciple of Donald Davidson, one of the original Nashville Agrarians who, in response to attacks on Southern culture and to denounce increasing urbanism, industrialization, and materialization, produced their agrarian literary manifesto in 1930. No mere continuer, Bradford’s literary and political studies constitute a necessary complement to the intellectual tradition formulated in I’ll Take My Stand (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1930). Formally trained in literary criticism, Bradford also possessed a formidable grasp of politics, history, and rhetoric, enabling him to enrich the Agrarians’ cultural vision by adding a new political dimension to their legacy. Although some aspects of Bradford’s scholarly and political legacy have been addressed in several works, this book will be the first comprehensive analysis of his political thought. While Bradford’s scholarship constitutes an alternative interpretation of American political tradition, the purpose of this book is not to present a revisionist history; rather, analysis of this aspect of twentieth-century American political thought can provide a better understanding of not only the ‘Southern mind’, but truly the ‘American mind’. One of the most unique characteristics of American society, as well as the American Union, is diversity. The Southern tradition, while burdened with the 'sin' of slavery and, therefore, continually on the defensive, contributes to that diversity and is a crucial part of the complex American identity. Refusing to Be Forgotten will demonstrate that Bradford’s scholarship can significantly contribute to a more multifaceted and nuanced understanding of American history, tradition, and identity. I believe, as Bradford did, that certain fundamental disagreements concerning the nature and foundations of the American regime – the very roots of the Civil War – are key to understanding contemporary American politics, both at the national and local level. This book will argue that the study of Southern conservatism, as embodied in Bradford’s writings, can not only improve understanding of American society, but also the political and ideological polarization that characterizes contemporary America.